What a shame.

[Seagull]

As a newcomer to all things woodsy, I am more than a little put-out by some of the man-made marks, which are to be found in some of the nearby woods.

It had never occurred to me that such serene places can often be used as dumping sites.

Theres a particular wood, actually a small, WT wood, which bears the marks of old campsites; plastic bottles, beer cans, fire logs and disposable BarBQs. Theres huge sheets of poly plastic, used for shelter, jars half full of salsa dip, theres cling film and packaging, its a real eyesore.

The thing is, that nearly always you can find, nearby, the remains of whittling and axework, so I reckon that whoever causes the mess, is interested in developing some woodsy-type skills, at least they clearly enjoy being there, but they have not quite thought things through.

I dunno if the WT even allow camping out.

Is such litter, inevitable today, or what?

How much of a commom problem is it, for I surely dont know.


I am sure that most who use this site, are strong on personal liberty and the responsibility which goes with that; and dislike " them" who try to tell us how to live.
With that in mind, I would be cautious of suggesting the flying of flags about keeping the place tidy, but maybe its worth a thought.

What do you think?


Seagull

 

[tomtom]

it usually depends on how accessable the wood is and how flat/easy the turain(sp) is.. as a general rule the more accessable and easy to camp in the wood is the more rubbish you are likly to find.. i do not know if the WT allow camping but certainly the woods aroud here belonging to them get quite a few campers (includeing me).. of course the deeper in the wood you go the less rubbish you find

 

[jason01]

Unfortunately I see mans rubbish and destruction in one form or another everywhere that I go without exception on our overcrowded island, be it on isolated remote mountain's, hidden valleys, woodland or beach. We are quick to pass on techniques that can be destructive and leave scars, particularly if practiced carelessly and selfishly but we don't emphasise nearly enough the importance of restraint and conservation. How many of us can say we have never left a trace of our presence in the wilderness?

I'm with you on this Seagull, we cant state this point too loudly, boring as it might seem. Sometimes its better just to enjoy being in a place, if practicing bushcraft means we're leaving scars we shouldn't be doing it.

It has always bothered me that the information available on this site and others and in books or on courses or whatever will inevitably be practiced by some people who just don't care or don't think.

With more and more people seeking out the wild places it will only get worse Im afraid

Jason

 

[ESpy]

Always carry a bag with you. We came back with an assortment of plastic & aluminium cans (oh, and a butane cylinder...) whilst out looking at plants with Jakunen at the meet.

 

[tomtom]

yeh.. always try and leave the place tidyer than it was when you got there.. thats my moto

 

[Tantalus]

nicely said seagull and about time someone had the guts to say it too

well done

now put yourself in a landowners shoes and imagine it was your wood for a minute

i can see why they dont appreciate the prospect of campers pitching tents in quiet corners

plastic and cling film to choke their animals, glass jars to start fires in the sun or break and injure their feet
sharp whittled sticks left all over the place, its beginning to sound like something out of a cross between animal farm and rambo

one possible solution is to approach the landowner /farmer and offer to do some tidying in return for letting ya stay the night in the wood

perhaps he would park a trailer for you to load stuff onto or give you some old fertiliser sacks to fill with junk

guaranteed it is one of those jobs that he just doesnt have time for and a little help should go a long way to making you welcome

you named the WT (woodland trust?) perhaps approaching them in this way would prove beneficial to all

i lived in greece for a while and the locals used to laugh at me for picking up rubbish along the pebble beach on my way to the tobaccanists every day -about 1/2 mile

being the wierdo i am it didnt bother me at all

but in the summer the tourists enjoyed the beach far more and to my surprise so did the greeks, even organising groups of kids to go along and tidy up too

amazing what a difference one person can really make

Tant

 

[jakunen]

Sadly that is one of the major problems today with everywhere being so accessible, especially if the people littering don't even have a right to be there.

My local airfoft wood is a closed site, but you'd be amazed at what we found on games - washign machines, burnt out cars, ladies underwear, beer cans, you name it. In today's 'throw away society', people sadly take it far too literally...

 

[jamesdevine]

This very subject has been on my mind quite a bit lately. For two reasons one is I am current "How to **** in the Wood" all do not litter it is waste and principles behind the book are the same the protection of the outdoors and the environment so we can enjoy it more by being responsible.

The second reason it's been on my mind is due to something I witnessed at the weekend. Whilst out for walk with my wife a Gentleman (I use this word loosely) walking in front of us put his hand in his pocket and proceed to empty the contents on to the pavement right in front of a litter bin :yikes: . I was appalled but for some reason didn't say anything I am not sure way .

Here in Ireland it is a big problem the waste disposal and dumping question and illegal dumping is very common and is some areas big business all do we are improving and very rapidly thanks to positive measure being made by local councils etc. Put Education is really the key and not being afraid to speak up or report anyone fouling our planet.

I will not be keeping quite the next time.

James

 

[jakunen]

The second reason it's been on my mind is due to something I witnessed at the weekend. Whilst out for walk with my wife a Gentleman (I use this word loosely) walking in front of us put his hand in his pocket and proceed to empty the contents on to the pavement right in front of a litter bin :yikes: . I was appalled but for some reason didn't say anything I am not sure way .

You obviously didn't see the invisible sign saying "In the event of the ground being full up, please feel free to use the bins..."

 

[jamesdevine]

lol Thats probable why I didn't say anything it must said out telapathic messages telling me it was exceptable. :shock:

James